Vonsgardens

Well,
Look at many of the "great and famous" old trees- some in National or imperial collections- some in famous collections. Due to their tremendous age (particularly conifers), many of them do not have foliage or prospects thereof any where near the center of the tree- standard techniques of branch removal and forcing budding most likely will not work, and using the approach of "dressing the lady with new clothes"- that is attaching all new branches via grafting is not done. Trees grow, even in bonsai pots. So, while many dynamic new trees are developed all of the time, these treasures keep creeping away from any design and continue to get older. I once was looking at one of Andy Smith's old collected Rocky Mountain Junipers at a convention, a passerby commented look at that, "it says it is 300 or 400 years old, too bad it wasn't in a bonsai pot all of that time". To suggest that a tree growing in a virtual rock pot in the mountains has less worth than a tree that has spent that time in a pot of human creation is to me anyway, ludicrous. Yes they are to be revered as wonders of horticultural and genetic perserverence but are they really good bonsai- there are rules after all?
(this should start some interesting feedback.)
John